education

Higher Ed: Learning To Discern Your True Calling

Many people may regard “vocation” as a job, employment, or occupation. But the word’s Latin root (vocare meaning “to call”) speaks to a deeper definition related to a passion or true calling. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore the concept of a “calling” in life, and how we can learn to be attuned to that message within us.

When Jennifer was an undergraduate student in college, she was certain she was going to become a psychologist. When Ed was an undergraduate student, he was certain he was going to become a lawyer.

Well, neither one of them followed the path they thought they were going to pursue. What happened along the way? Did something go wrong for both of them?

Quite the contrary, Ed would argue. He says one of the ways to discern a true “calling” in life is to remain open to opportunities when they present themselves.

“We can’t be so intellectually stubborn as to think that the thought we had when we were eight years old is also going to be the exact same thought we’re going to have when we’re forty-five. That’s just not right,” says Ed. “The point of a high-impact educational experience that’s all about intellectual and personal growth is about challenging those basic assumptions.”

If this exercise of discernment feels like a struggle, Ed is quick to point out there is not necessarily only one path for each of us waiting to be discovered.

“You might pick the right one that generates enormous happiness. You might pick another one that generates a lot of happiness, and maybe there’s another thing you could have done that would have made you more happy or more satisfied,” Ed says. “You have to come to peace with all of that and realize there are there multiple pathways.”

At the heart of determining one’s true calling?

“Optimize your own personal satisfaction,” Ed believes.

That may sounds good in theory, but what about the reality of earning a living and paying bills? Listen to the full episode for further discussion on the tension between pursuing a passion and the realities of life.

No puzzler this week! It is still on an extended Spring Break but will return next week.

This episode was recorded on Feb. 23, 2019.

Texas Standard: March 21, 2019

With oil and gas revenues rolling in and the state’s savings account hitting record highs, Texas lawmakers get set to make a record withdrawal. Though the formal name for the fund makes no mention of rainy days, several days of rain back in 2017 will finally hit the Rainy Day Fund rather hard. We’ll hear where the money’s going. Also, If Joaquin Castro moves forward with plans to challenge John Cornyn for his senate seat, who’s in line to try to fill Castro’s shoes? We’ll play musical chairs. Plus why Google wants to play with you, and why it could be a real game changer. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 18, 2019

Wallace Hall fought a bitter battle with the University of Texas alleging corrupt admissions policies. Considering new revelations, was he right all along? We’ll have a conversation with the former University of Texas regent about a college admissions process once dubbed affirmative action for the advantaged. Also, when it comes to performance based pay for teachers, do some teachers have a built in advantage over others? And a ruling in a case that could hold gunmakers liable in the wake of mass shootings. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 11, 2019

Political lightning round: capitalist or socialist? High profile Democrats get a grilling in an unlikely venue as SXSW gets political. Democratic luminaries shining bright this weekend at what many think of as a music and film festival. We’ll hear who was making news and what it means for election season 2020. Also, an infectious disease specialist says San Francisco is beating HIV, why not Houston or other southern cities? Plus the $7,000 film: director Robert Rodriguez gets back to his DIY roots with a scrappy new release about a budding filmmaker. All of those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 7, 2019

Alarming figures from the border show an 11 year high in the number of migrant families apprehended. But do the numbers add up? Just a few weeks ago, we were hearing that the claim of a border emergency was overblown, but now mainstream news outlets report what sounds like, at the very least, a crisis overwhelming customs and border patrol. We’ll try to get a better sense of what’s happening. Also, a first of its kind effort in Texas to be prepared for wildfire season. And a top doctor warns of a looming crisis in Texas health care. All of those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 6, 2019

The senate approves pay raises for Texas teachers. The House has a bill of its own. What does it add up to for school reform in a larger sense? We’ll try to reconcile the differences between two approaches for fixing Texas public schools. Also, here’s a sentence some thought they’d never hear: the push to decriminalize marijuana gains momentum in Texas. We’ll get the how and why. And after a wicked cold snap, your forecast for bluebonnets. All those stories and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 5, 2019

Will Texans vote to return Donald Trump to the White House? The 2020 contest might be closer than you think. We’ll hear from the head of the Texas Politics Project about the finding of a new poll of 12 hundred Texans and what they’re telling us about the early state of the 2020 presidential contest. Also: hemp. Illegal to grow in Texas, but the times are a changin and the republican ag commissioner is pushing the change. Plus how a forgotten story of hispanic North America tells us something about our politics and our American identity. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 1, 2019

Surprise! You thought you were insured but got an unexpected medical bill. Now a plan to help Texas patients left holding the bag, we’ll have the latest. Plus a new attempt to clear a backlog of untested rape kits statewide, we’ll have details. And for seniors, independent living facilities can be costly. That’s why one Texan’s alternative retirement plan is making national headlines, we’ll talk to him. Also, mariachi is nothing new, but here’s what is: a statewide festival of students embracing the tradition. We’ll look at why it marks a turning point of sorts. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 19, 2019

Two dead and five police officers wounded after a botched drug bust. Now the police chief in the state’s biggest city wants to end no knock raids, we’ll have the latest. Also, drug money and corruption rampant in Mexico, but also bad on this side of the border. We’ll talk to a reporter from the New York Times about how drug money’s greasing the wheels in the Rio Grande Valley. And a struggling elementary school in Odessa and a calculated risk to keep it from getting closed down. Plus The University of Texas tries to recend a PhD and a Texas judge says not so fast. We’ll get schooled on the matter. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 18, 2019

A construction on what at the border? As the wall gets the lion’s share of attention, a new facility for asylum seekers is going up. We’ll have details. Also, we often bemoan the growing political divide. But is it possible we were just born this way? A new book by a San Antonio based researcher makes claims about a biological basis for our political inclinations. And a Dallas sports legend who’s done more from globalizing basketball. Plus a presidential pop quiz for Texans. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 8, 2019

The confirmation of a republican Governor Secretary of State nominee: a slam dunk in the republican led Texas senate? Not this time. David Whitley facing an uphill battle to be confirmed as Secretary of State after questioning the citizenship of almost 100 thousand Texas voters, we’ll hear the latest. Also, Senator John Cornyn set for easy re-election in 2020, wanna Bet-o? Cornyn himself not taking any chances after seeing what happened in 2018. All that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 1, 2019

The harmonic convergence at the State Capitol: Texas’ top three power brokers get on the same page over property taxes. But something’s missing.
Coming up: Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune on the missing link between efforts to limit property taxes while promising to boost education. Which is largely paid for by…property taxes.
Also, a look at the week that was in politics and a cautionary tale for those demanding more made in America goods: the case of the Texas-made-Mac- that didn’t take off. All those stories plus a whole lot more.

Texas Standard: January 31, 2019

First the ranches, then the big cities. Come 2020, is the next great political battleground in the Lone Star State the suburbs? We’ll take a closer look. Also, senator John Cornyn now warning fellow Republicans that President Trump could lose Texas in 2020. Is the Lone Star State no longer reliably red? The answer might be found in the suburbs. And although the Permian basin’s booming, we might be on the road to a new foreign energy dependence, we’ll hear why. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 30, 2019

People have been flocking to the Lone Star State for its economy, but is a good job the key to the good life in Texas? We’ll take a look at the unreported face of household hardship. One problem with the poverty line: what it fails to factor in. A new report shows more working Texans struggling with economic hardship than you might think. Also, a politifact check on the cost of illegal immigration. And it’s not just what you say but how you say it: an expert linguist decodes the Governor’s Texas twang. All that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 29, 2019

The Texas voter fraud claim: 95 thousand registered voters may be non-citizens. But does the citizenship check violate federal law? We’ll take a look. Also, in Texas few things are more sacred than property rights, until they’re pitted against oil and gas interests. How a planned pipeline through the hill country could prove a test of Texas values. And more venture capital money flowing into the Lone Star State, reaching levels not seen since the dot com heyday. Happy days are here again? Why you might want to hold off on the party hats. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 24, 2019

After school shootings nationwide, a Texas county recruits its very youngest students in an effort to be prepared for the worst. We’ll have the latest. Also, a crisis beyond our borders that could become a crisis on our border in rapid order. Political turmoil in Venezuela reaches a boiling point. We’ll explore. And Texas lawmakers keep promising to focus on education; code for a renewed push for vouchers charter schools and other alternatives? We’ll take a closer look. Plus 19 places to visit in 2019: five of em are in Texas. You may want to take notes. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 22, 2019

When a suspect dies in police custody in Texas, what’s the public’s right to get answers? Critics call it the dead suspect loophole. We’ll take a closer look. Also coming up this hour, a military uprising in Venezuela. Four officials are kidnapped before troops loyal to the president put it down. A coup in the works? What might it mean for the region, and for Texas? And as some kids from Marfa get their school projects ready for a literal launchpad, a Texas researcher takes a lead position in crafting a roadmap for the next decade of space research. We’ll meet him and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 15, 2019

The nation’s first execution of 2019 is set for today. But it won’t happen. The Texas court of criminal appeals orders a second look at bite mark evidence used in a murder trial, we’ll have more. Also, the political committee behind the upset victory of democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a new objective: to topple a veteran congressman from Texas who’s a fellow democrat. We’ll hear why. Plus, is the shutdown saving the government money? An expert does the math and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 14, 2019

Leaders of both the Texas senate and the house promising to hike teacher salaries so more will stay in the classroom. But how much money is enough? Also, to weather the government shutdown, the state steps in to help people who rely on what used to be known as food stamps. But experts warn of a hidden hit for grocers. We’ll hear about it. Plus a prominent Texas politician pitches his hat into the 2020 presidential race. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: December 20, 2018

Will this be the legislative session that fixes the way Texas funds public schools? We’ll explore new recommendations. And speaking of the legislative session, there are new bills filed. We ask lawmakers why certain bills are near and dear to their hearts. We also say goodbye to members of the Texas delegation in Washington. And ’tis the season to go shopping, and get a discount: we’ll tell you how. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard: